The famously reclusive funkster broke his silence by granting his first interview since the ’80s to Vanity Fair. In the magazine’s August issue, the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone talks about his music, his disappearance from public view and his long-awaited return.

Stone, 64, who made a brief, awkward appearance at the 2006 Grammys replete with a giant mohawk, says he plans to start work on a new album in the fall. But after more than two decades away from the spotlight, why come back now?

“‘Cause it’s kind of boring at home sometimes,” he tells the magazine. “I got a lot of songs I want to record and put out, so I’m gonna try ’em out on the road. That’s the way it’s always worked the best: Let’s try it out and see how the people feel.”

Stone says he has “a library, like, a hundred and some songs, or maybe 200” that he’s been sitting on at his Napa Valley compound, also home to his two chopper motorcycles and an eclectic collection of cars that includes an old London taxicab.

He is humble when asked about his contributions to music and unapologetic when pressed about his reputation for missing gigs. And though he has been isolated, he says he’s been enjoying life.

“I do regular things a lot,” he says. “But it’s probably more of a Sly Stone life. It’s probably … it’s probably not very normal.”(via billboard)